John Bingham Quotes

• The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

  John Bingham

  Inspirational, Softball, Sports

  John Bingham (1999). “The Courage To Start: A Guide To Running for Your Life”, p.210, Simon and Schuster

  81 Copy quote

• If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.

  John Bingham

  Running, Years, Tests

  John Bingham (1999). “The Courage To Start: A Guide To Running for Your Life”, p.14, Simon and Schuster

  68 Copy quote

• Believe that you can run farther or faster. Believe that you're young enough, old enough, strong enough, and so on to accomplish everything you want to do. Don't let worn-out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself.

  John Bingham

  Running, Strong, Believe

  56 Copy quote

• Focus on where you are instead of where you wish you were. The joy will follow.

  John Bingham

  Joy, Focus, Wish

  John Bingham (2002). “No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running”, p.153, Rodale

  18 Copy quote

• I am a runner because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far. I am a runner because I say I am. And no one can tell me I'm not.

  John Bingham

  Running, Motivational Running, Runners

  18 Copy quote

• We run to undo the damage we've done to body and spirit. We run to find some part of ourselves yet undiscovered.

  John Bingham

  Running, Damage, Done

  John Bingham (2002). “No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running”, p.207, Rodale

  20 Copy quote

• It was being a runner that mattered, not how fast or how far I could run. The joy was in the act of running and in the journey, not in the destination. We have a better chance of seeing where we are when we stop trying to get somewhere else. We can enjoy every moment of movement, as long as where we are is as good as where we'd like to be. That's not to say that you need to be satisfied forever with where you are today. But you need to honor what you've accomplished, rather than thinking of what's left to be done (p. 159).

  John Bingham

  Running, Journey, Thinking

  25 Copy quote

• Being inspired is fine for a week, and being motivated might work for a month or so, but to make any lifestyle change last a lifetime, you need dedication.

  John Bingham

  Dedication, Needs, Might

  John Bingham (2002). “No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running”, p.101, Rodale

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• Crossing the starting line may be an act of courage, but crossing the finish line is an act of faith. Faith is what kepes us going when nothing else will. Faith is the emotion that will give you victory over your past, the demons in your soul, & all of those voices that tell you what you can & cannot do & can & cannot be.

  John Bingham

  Past, Voice, Giving

  22 Copy quote

• It's only when movement becomes the most natural state in our lives that we can finally begin to enjoy the motion. And it's only when standing still becomes impossible that we can finally embrace the kinds of changes that are inevitable in our lives.
  We were not designed to stand still. If we were, we'd have at least three legs. We were designed to move. Our bodies are bodies that have walked across vast continents. Our bodies are bodies that have carried objects of art and war over great distances. We are no less mobile than our ancestors. We are athletes. We are warriors. We are human.

  John Bingham

  Art, War, Distance

  16 Copy quote

• Every day gives you an opportunity to improve. With every run, you can try to be better. Not just a better runner, but a better person.

  John Bingham

  Running, Opportunity, Giving

  8 Copy quote

• Long Distance training can be a positive & constructive form of selfishness. After all, once you're at the starting line, you're there by yourself. No one can run a single step for you. No one can jump in & help you. No one but you can make the decisions about what to do to keep going. It's all up to you.

  John Bingham

  Running, Distance, Long

  John Bingham, Jenny Hadfield (2003). “Marathoning for Mortals: A Regular Person's Guide to the Joy of Running or Walking a Half-Marathon or Marathon”, p.19, Rodale

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• I'm not saying running could solve all of the world's problems, but I think it would be a good start.

  John Bingham

  Running, Thinking, Would Be

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• Running is not just exercise; it is a lifestyle.

  John Bingham

  Running, Exercise, Lifestyle

  John Bingham, Jenny Hadfield (2007). “Running for Mortals: A Commonsense Plan for Changing Your Life through Running”, p.8, Rodale

  13 Copy quote

• The joy is in the journey, not the destination. We have a better chance of seeing where we are when we stop trying to get somewhere else.

  John Bingham

  Journey, Somewhere Else, Joy

  John Bingham (2002). “No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running”, p.159, Rodale

  10 Copy quote

• It was being a runner that mattered, not how fast or how far I could run. The joy was in the act of running and in the journey, not in the destination.

  John Bingham

  Running, Journey, Joy

  John Bingham (2002). “No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running”, p.159, Rodale

  13 Copy quote

• I didn't train all that time just to come here and get it over with as fast as I can

  John Bingham

  Running, Funny Running, Train

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• You already have everything you need to be a long-distance athlete. It's mindset, not miles, that separates those who do from those who dream.

  John Bingham

  Dream, Distance, Athlete

  John Bingham, Jenny Hadfield (2003). “Marathoning for Mortals: A Regular Person's Guide to the Joy of Running or Walking a Half-Marathon or Marathon”, p.1, Rodale

  10 Copy quote

• As an athlete, when you least expect it, you may find yourself standing on the threshold of an accomplishment so monumental that it strikes fear into your soul. You must stand ready, at any moment, to face the unknown. You must be ready to walk boldly thru the wall of uncertainty.

  John Bingham

  Wall, Athlete, Accomplishment

  John Bingham (1999). “The Courage To Start: A Guide To Running for Your Life”, p.74, Simon and Schuster

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• What you learn is often determined by what you need to know. If you think you're weak, you will learn that you are strong. If you think you are indestructible, you will learn that you are fragile.
  In the end though, you will learn that you are human. You are no more and no less than all those who are learning their lessons as you learn yours.

  John Bingham

  Strong, Thinking, Lessons

  John Bingham, Jenny Hadfield (2007). “Running for Mortals: A Commonsense Plan for Changing Your Life through Running”, p.27, Rodale

  10 Copy quote

• Frustration is the first step towards improvement. I have no incentive to improve if I'm content with what I can do and if I'm completely satisfied with my pace, distance and form as a runner. It's only when I face frustration and use it to fuel my dedication that I feel myself moving forwards.

  John Bingham

  Running, Distance, Moving

  John Bingham (2002). “No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running”, p.105, Rodale

  8 Copy quote

• It isn’t a matter of getting the body you want, it’s a matter of doing the most you can with the body you have.

  John Bingham

  Body, Want, Matter

  John Bingham (2002). “No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running”, p.53, Rodale

  9 Copy quote

• Marathons are about tenacity as much as talent.

  John Bingham

  Running, Marathon, Talent

  4 Copy quote

• Don't let worn-out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself.

  John Bingham

  Running, Moving, Belief

  "Running for the PR" by Dylan Armajani, www.huffingtonpost.com. June 12, 2012.

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• The only magic in our lives as runners is the magic of consistency. Not every run will make you feel great.

  John Bingham

  Running, Consistency, Magic

  John Bingham (2002). “No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running”, p.24, Rodale

  5 Copy quote

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